Rumex hymenosepalus
| Rumex hymenosepalus | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Rumex hymenosepalus (common name: canaigre)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in situ.
Division in spring.
Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils but prefers a deep fertile moderately heavy soil that is humus-rich, moisture-retentive but well-drained and a position in full-sun or part shade[1]. Judging by its native range, this plant should succeed in dry soils[K].
Extensively cultivated for the tannin contained in its root[2].
Range: South-western N. America.
Habitat: Dry sandy places below 1500 metres in California[3].
Edibility: Young leaves - cooked as a pot-herb[4][5][6][7][8]. They are usually cooked in several changes of water to remove the bitter-tasting tannin[9].
Leaf stems - cooked[10][7][8]. Crisp and tart, they are excellent when used in pies like rhubarb[4][9]. They are often cooked with sugar, or can be baked and the central portion eaten[11].
The stems, harvested before the flowers open, have been boiled to make a drink[11].
Seed - raw or cooked[11]. It can be ground into a powder, cooked with water to the consistency of a thick gravy and eaten as a mush[9][11]. The powder can also be mixed with water, shaped into cakes and baked[11].
Root[7][8]. Eaten raw by children in early spring[11].
Medicinal: An infusion of the stems and leaves has been used as a wash for sores, ant bites and infected cuts[11].
The roots are astringent[11]. An infusion has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea[11]. An infusion has been used as a gargle to treat coughs and sore mouths and throats[11]. The root has been chewed in the treatment of coughs and colds[11]. The dried, powdered roots have been used as a dusting powder and dressing on burns and sores[11].
A tea made from this plant is used to treat colds[12][11].
Usage: The roots are rich in tannin, the dried root containing about 35 - 60%[5][6][2]. Wild roots contain more tannin than cultivated roots whilst old roots contain more than young roots[13]. Yellow, dark green to brown and dark grey dyes can be obtained from the roots of this plant[5][6][14]. They do not need a mordant[14].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Plants can contain quite high levels of oxalic acid, which is what gives the leaves of many members of this genus an acid-lemon flavour. Perfectly alright in small quantities, the leaves should not be eaten in large amounts since the oxalic acid can lock-
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References
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Munz, David. A California Flora. University of California Press, 1959.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ Rottsieper, E. Vegetable Tannins. The Forestal Land, 1946.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.